WOW. Absolutely loved this story, title, cover, etc. I needed a good fantasy story like this one and boy did it deliver. It helped me overcome my fantasy slump and set me on a good roll.

What I Loved: This Les Mis retelling– a term I would apply loosely since the story borrowed very little from the source material– was complex and gritty. Alternate histories are a genre that I don’t frequently dip into but I enjoyed it. The main character of Nina was complex. I found the concept of the different courts intriguing. Lester’s writing is gorgeous and lush and those who love in depth descriptions will adore it.

What I Didn’t Love: Despite all the praise, I felt that at times the story was slow and the lush descriptions became a bit wordy. Also, it took some time to get into the story and at times I had no idea where things were going, which frequently made the narrative confusing an convoluted. I do plan to pick up the sequel when it comes out but I will likely be getting it through the library.

I received an e-ARC copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In case you guys haven't heard about this novel, let me start off by say it's a Les Miserables retelling which is very different in and of itself. This story is tagged as Les Mis meets Six of Crows without the fantasy elements (aka magic). Throughout the story we're following Eponine (Nina) instead of Cosette (Ettie), but everyone's favorite characters make an appearance in one way or another, but I'll get into that later. In this story the common people of Paris are called "The Wretched" and they make up different guilds in their society. Eponine is in the Guild of Thieves as...what essentially amounts to a cat burglar. Cosette is her adoptive sister who catches the attention of a guild leader known as "The Tiger." He wants her because of her beauty and Nina is not having any of that so she makes a very heist like plan to save her. 

Overall, let me just say I enjoyed the story because it stuck to the core idea of Les Mis which was that a city of was on the brink of revolution and that the lives of the common people were dictated and destroyed at the hand of the rich nobility. I do, however, really find the original story of Les Mis to be so boring, but the way the author changed the original story and left the revolution, left the terrible conditions the people were in during that time (aka the main points of Les Mis in my opinion) made it so much more enjoyable. I read bits and pieces of the original story when I was in high school, but I saw the movie more recently and I never found Cosette to be interesting. I wanted to see more of Eponine anyway, so this book gave me all of that. 

I loved that we got to see Nina from a young age grow into being the best cat burglar in her guild. I thought the progression between when she was very young to when she was older to be smooth and the breaks to happen at places that make sense. The author did such a good job of using the time/scenes in each part of the novel to build on Nina's relationship with the characters around her, especially Ettie and those in other guilds. I admit I would have liked to see more of her relationships within her own guild besides her biological father, Thenardier, because we see Ettie and Nina get to be as close as sisters, and when things get hard we see Nina befriending the ghosts in the beggars guild and we see bits and pieces of her befriending (or at least acknowledging) other main characters in different guilds, but none really from her own. 

Similarly to the original story, this story did drag for me a little. It wasn't terrible, but there was a lot of instances where Nina was just...planning and then trying to get the moving parts in place so those plans could work. It all was worth it when those plans were put into action, but it was slow going for a little while. 

I also really enjoyed how...dark the story was. You wouldn't really guess it from the synopsis on Goodreads, but there's a lot of darkness in this story. Of course things were terrible and hard during the time period this is set in considering the people were starving and people were being forced into prostitution and slavery, but the author did such a good job writing it from the perspective of a child growing up in this environment with the desire to survive, but also make it better for the common people. 

I could rant for a while about how this should be made into a movie and how it's a pretty awesome book considering the state of the country right now, but I won't bore you guys. Overall, I really enjoyed it! I loved that, yes it was one large overarching plot of protecting and retrieving Ettie from The Tiger, but that the revolution with Enjolras was also present, and instead of one big heist there's multiple smaller plans and plots building up to it. Something I didn't mention above (mostly because I don't usually address it) is that there's the mention of romance between Nina and one of the well known assassins from the assassin's guild, but that it doesn't take a front seat...it's more of an after thought, which I really liked. 

Honestly, if you guys love Les Mis, books about revolution and change, historical fiction novels, or just want to see the friendship between two girls who try to overthrow a corrupt system take the front seat in a story, this books for you! I definitely give this one a 3.5 stars, so I'll round up :)

Definitely worth the hype! Magical, addictive, and fast paced. Overall, really enjoyed this and highly recommend

When Nina's father attempts to sell her off, her sister takes a gamble to save her life. Nina becomes a member of the thieves guild, completing her tasks and trying to find a way to save her sister from her horrible fate. Meanwhile, she's gained a new sister in Ettie. Now Ettie has caught the eye of the villainous guild lord and Nina has figure out how to save them all while risking a war between all the guilds.

I had a difficult time understanding the rules of the guilds and how they all worked together and yet apart from the rest of the city. The characters were fairly developed, but I could have used a bit more explanations for the setting.

The Court of Miracles isn't so much a retelling of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, as it is a reimagining. In Kester Grant's story, the French Revolution of 1789 failed, and Paris's unwanted banded together in an underground court system of their own. The central character is Éponine, who goes by Nina. She is a member of the Guild of Thieves and an excellent cat burglar, but her true goal is to save Ettie (Cosette) and her sister Alezma from the Lord of the Guild of Flesh.

This book is really interesting. It's like the story was draped over the bare bones of the original, and I really liked seeing of the threads of the original tale were woven into something new. The setting is really rich and diverse, but it took me a bit of effort to get all the characters straight. The biggest downside was that I never truly felt connected or invested in Nina or her goals, which is, I think, a bit of a shortcoming.

The Court of Miracles 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

I love Les Mis- the first time I ever saw it/read it was in French class in the 6th grade and we watched a version in French from the 70s or 80s maybe and it was so good! We then read an abridged version and I fell even more in love. When the newer movie with Hugh Jackman came out, you can bet that your girl went to see it ASAP and has seen it like 4 or 5 times since then. I was planning on going to see the actual musical production at the performing arts center in March, but because of Covid, things got cancelled. The story started out kinda weird in that it took me until Thenardier said Ettie’s full name for me to realize that she was Cosette and Nina was Eponine (I should have just reread the summary from Goodreads!). I loved the concepts of the guilds and them being the underworld. I thought it was interesting that even though Nina was a member of the Thieves Guild, she still interacted with some of the other guilds and set off a war. I thought the sections with the monarchy were a little unnecessary (fun, but unnecessary)- the prince was a little useless as a character, but I understand that there had to be a monarchy for the revolution to overthrow for the whole plot to work. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it made me super nostalgic for Les Mis and I’m definitely wanting to watch it again soon!

I was very excited to read this book, it is my first Les Misérables retelling inspired by Six of Crows and the Jungle Book and I had a great time reading it!

Okay, I must first tell you that I haven’t read or watched Les Mis. I know, I feel guilty too. Bur after reading The Court of Miracles, I am officially bumping it up to my tbr/watch list.

The Court of Miracles starts off with events that take place after a failed revolution in Paris. The people are unhappy with their situation and meanwhile the nobles are living comfortably without a care for them. However there is a group of people called the Wretched and they created The Miracle Court which is a group of criminals that are free and where neither blood, race, religion, rank or name mean anything, though they are divided into nine guilds.

Reading about how these guilds work was so interesting. Each guild has a Lord and children who vow to protect each other while they remain invisible from daywalkers (because they strictly move around at night). I loved how every time they meet up they are complete chaos, my favorite Guild Lord is Orso, he is so sassy!

Nina, the MC of this story, joins the Thieves Guild at a very young age after loosing her sister and she is determined to get her back, but it is not an easy task. She is quickly sidetracked from her goal and needs to work harder to accomplish it. While I struggled to understand Nina in the beginning of the story (my fault, I get that her character is drawn from Les Mis), I did end up liking her and completely understood her desperation/anger towards the system as well as her fierce determination to protect what matters to her.

Also, The Court of Miracles is a VERY fast paced book. And I like them, though I may have had a bit of trouble keeping up with everything since I was unfamiliar with so many characters. But there came a time where I was very invested in the story and I finally got the hang of it! 😀

A FEW FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Hear my words, for they are all I have left to give. Wrap them around your flesh like armor. You may forget my face and my voice, but never forget the things I am telling you.”

“You have to be suspicious to become a Guild Lord, and you have to continue to be suspicious if you want to remain one.”

“May they sing your songs forever.”

“Escape, my Lord? I’m the Black Cat of the Thieves Guild.” I smile in the darkness. “I’m here to steal you.”

….

All in all this was a good read for me and I am excited to see what happens next. I get why it is pitched as Les Mis meets Six of Crows meets The Jungle Book, though it’s obviously a story that stands on its own. I am keen to continue with this series. 🙂

I cried when I reached the end and there was no more left. This novel had me rooting for the characters from the start. There were moments I happily knew what was about to happen, and moments were I was so surprised my mouth hung open. Truly a wonderous book for anyone who enjoys Six of Crows or A Darker Shade of Magic.!

I wanted to love this, but ended up not living up to the hype. Sadly.

The pacing was quick...and things got solved too quickly. I didn't get past chapter 11.

I wanted to love this book, I really did but it just fell flat for me. This book almost felt like an outline that needed to be fleshed in. There are so many things I don’t understand. Like how Nina hit the name black cat in the first place, how is she able to enter the other courts without an invitation and so much more. It jumps around a lot. And don’t even get me started on the many love interests.

I love this retelling of Les Miz! I love the way the story is told, the characters, the plot, the pacing. Ahh! I just really love this book! It was a book I just could NOT put down and all I want to do is scream about it forever!

I am shocked by how much I love this book.I kept putting it off but I finally dove in and read it in one sitting. Honestly, I don't remember much about Les Miserables except hugh jackman is in it and that song but I definitely felt the six of crows style except female centered and sisterhood powered. The story is definitely fast paced and if it ends right here i'm ok with it because everyone I needed to make it did. I can't handle it if my favorites are lost by the end which is probably the path that's going to happen. Nina was an impressive main character and heroine who is ahead of everyone, including us the reader, by three steps. I know there's complaints that everything was tied up too neatly but she literally lays in a pile of shit to get the job done. I think it's well deserved. The story has a lot of thrilling, edge of your seat moments but not a lot of fantasy elements just a couple of parts. The world buiolding was a bit confusing in the beginning but once you realize there's a world within a world then it fleshes out. The characters leap out of the pages and I enjoyed every one of them. There isn't a strong romance element but just enough to keep you guessing. I know there's two more planned in the series and I hope the plot is just as strong as this first part.

This book deserves its five stars no questions asked!!!

It has everything you’ll ever want!!! Strong female protagonist, heists, found families, respecting male characters!!!

I admit I’ve never read les Misérables, I do plan to do so, but I watched the anime and the movie multiple times and I’m telling you, it’s STILL AMAZING even without reading the og story!! Yes you might need to know the names of the characters to scream excitedly, but it doesn’t take away anything from this book<333

I feel like retelling LES MISÉRABLES is a pretty tall undertaking. I’ll admit that I felt skeptical going into COURT OF MIRACLES. Telling the story– or reframing the story– from Eponine’s (in the story she’s known as Nina) point-of-view was a really cool choice. She’s such a compelling character in the musical (I haven’t read the book, so I’m flying a bit blind there.). I loved the idea of sticking with her throughout the story.

COURT OF MIRACLES captures that streetwise, vulnerable but clever and smart girl from the original story. I liked that the story centers around sisterhood, too, first with Nina’s biological sister and then her adopted sister, Cosette.

Also– I love that we have a female Javert! I thought that was super clever and gives a lot of interesting twists to her motives and a need to prove herself as a women in a job that’s dominated by men. I’m curious where that goes.

One of the biggest things that felt missing to me in the book, though, are the echoes of the morality that seems to fill the original story. There’s no one honorable– even Jean Valjean only helps Nina because he owes her a debt. Everyone is out for themselves. And given that most of the characters are thieves, that’s not shocking. I just felt like there was a core of the original story that didn’t carry over.

I think it’s there a little bit in the way Nina remains loyal to her sisters, despite the costs or what’s convenient. She values them and can’t turn her back on them even when it might save her.

On the whole, COURT OF MIRACLES delivers a gritty cast of characters inspired by LES MIS and reminding readers of the power of sisterhood, loyalty, and courage.

I don't know what I expected going into this, but it wasn't this. While the synopsis referenced la Revolution Francaise being unsuccessful, I still thought that it'd be a Les Miserables retelling from how it was pitched. That's not really what this was. Rather, it was an alternate historical book with multiple inaccuracies. I didn't find it particularly compelling either way, nor did it bring something revolutionary or original to the YA genre. I also wasn't too keen on THREE potential love interests. It's rather tiring that female protagonists can't seem to be friendly with male characters without romantic feelings being involved. This made it feel very Throne of Glass-esque to me and come on, it's 2020. Time to move on from these tropes. This wasn't a poor book by any means, but I don't think that I'll be continuing on with this series.

Oh wow, this was a beautiful book. I quite enjoyed it and the characters. The story was fascinating!

I’m obsessed with this book. It’s complicated and brilliant with nods to historical events while keeping a sense of magic. I loved it so much. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The prose was lovely and the characters were endlessly compelling. Read this. Read it now.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! After reading it I immediately went and pre-ordered a copy from Waterstones. I am not sure I can put into words just how amazing this story is. Nina is a great character and you feel everything that she is going through. I cried so many times. I wanted nothing but the best for her, she has to overcome so much.

Not only were the characters written extremely well, but the whole world was so thrilling to be a part of. I can't wait to jump into the next novel! I didn't want to jump into a new book right away. I just wanted to sit and stew in all it's amazing glory.

I can not recommend this book enough. I will be ordering a nice collectable copy (Waterstones' has blue sprayed pages) and when it is released I will be buying it in either paperback or ebook so I have a copy to read. Because I will want to read this book again, and again.

I thought this book sounded really good. Then I read some of the mixed reviews. I saw it on Net Galley and decided to form my own opinion and then decide if I want to buy a copy.

I really liked it! I loved these characters from the start. Nina, Ettie, and Montparnasse are just some of my faves. Lady Corday is both frightening and brilliant.

I found the Courts intriguing, and the heists were so much fun to read about.
I will definitely be buying a copy.